MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN MARCH 2019
MUSICIANS WHO DIED IN MARCH 2019
MARCH 1
PAUL WILLIAMS (78) / (BORN PAUL WILLIAM YARLETT) ENGLISH BLUES, ROCK, R&B AND JAZZ ROCK SINGER AND MUSICIAN (BASS, KEYBOARDS, HARMONICA, PERCUSSION. MEMBER OF ZOOT MONEY'S BIG ROLL BAND AS BASSIST AND SINGER WITH ANDY SUMMERS ON GUITAR (LATER THE POLICE). THEN WITH JOHN MAYALL & THE BLUESBREAKERS, REPLACING JOHN McVIE. RECORDING WITH AYNSLEY DUNBAR AND DICK HECKSTALL-SMITH. 1970 IN JUICY LUCY AS LEAD SINGER. IN 1973 JOINED PROG ROCK TEMPEST (WITH JON HISEMAN ON DRUMS, ALLAN HOLDSWORTH ON GUITAR AND MARK CLARKE ON BASS). AT THE SAME TIME RECORDED FIVE ALBUMS WITH ALLAN HOLDSWORTH. HIS RECENT TOURING BAND WAS PAUL WILLIAMS' BLUE THUNDER WITH NEW ALBUM BLUE THUNDER 2 (RELEASED DECEMBER 7, 2018).
MARCH 4
KEITH FLINT (49) / ENGLISH SINGER, MUSICIAN AND DANCER FOR THE PRODIGY, A HARDCORE TECHNO, ELECTROPUNK, INDUSTRIAL ROCK BAND. HE STARTED THE BAND IN 1990 WITH DJ, KEYBOARDIST AND SONGWRITER LIAM HOWLETT, ORIGINALLY AS A DANCER. IN 1996 FLINT BECAME A SINGER ON THE HIT SINGLE FIRESTARTER (1996), PRESENTING HIS NEW PUNK LOOK AND PUNK ROCK-STYLE VOCALS. ANOTHER NUMBER ONE HIT FROM 1997 ALBUM THE FAT OF THE LAND WAS BREATHE. THE ALBUM SOLD OVER 10 MILLION COPIES. THE THIRD AND LAST SINGLE WAS CONTROVERSIAL SMACK MY BITCH UP, ACCUSED OF MISOGYNY, VOTED AS THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL OF ALL-TIME (PRS FOR MUSIC) BUT ALSO ONE OF THE GREATEST DANCE TRACKS EVER (MIXMAG). BOTH THE SONG AND THE VIDEO WERE BANNED, CENSORED AND / OR RESTRICTED BY BBC, MTV, ITV AND OTHERS. ON "SMACK MY BITCH UP" LIAM HOWLETT SAMPLED HEAVILY FROM KOOL KEITH AND ULTRAMGNETIC MCs, TO SHEILA CHANDRA, TO KOOL & THE GANG, TO RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE TO THE JAZZ GIANT RANDY WESTON. TOGETHER WITH CHEMICAL BROTHERS AND FAT BOY SLIM, THE PRODIGY ARE CONSIDERED PIONEERS OF NEW ELECTRONIC GENRE BIG BEAT. IN 2003 KEITH FLINT STARTED HIS OWN BAND CALLED, WELL... FLINT. IT INCLUDED JIM DAVIS (PITCHSHIFTER AND PRODIGY LIVE GUITARIST). THEIR ALBUM DEVICE #1 (2003) WAS TO CONTAIN 12 PUNK ROCK TRACKS, BUT WAS CANCELLED. KEITH FLINT WAS AN AMBITIOUS MOTORCYCLIST, RIDING WITH LEE THOMPSON OF THE SKA BAND MADNESS AND OWNING A MOTORCYCLE TEAM. FLINT COMMITTED SUICIDE AND WAS FOUND DEAD ON MARCH 4, 2019.
MARCH 5
JACQUES LOUSSIER (84) / FRENCH PIANIST AND COMPOSER, KNOWN FOR HIS JAZZ INTERPRETATIONS OF CLASSICAL MUSIC, ESPECIALLY THAT COMPOSED BY JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (LIKE GOLDBERG VARIATIONS) AND ESPECIALLY PERFORMED BY HIS THIRD STREAM JAZZ PIANO TRIO FOUNDED IN 1959. THEY RECORDED 32 JAZZ ALBUMS, PLAYED OVER 3000 CONCERTS AND SOLD OVER 7 MILLION RECORDS. THE TRIO ALSO RECORDED CHOPIN, SATIE, MOZART, BEETHOVEN, HANDEL, RAVEL, SCHUMANN OR VIVALDI. MADE FIVE SOLO ALBUMS AS WELL (EG WITH MUSIC BY IGNACY JAN PADEREWSKI). RECORDED WITH PINK FLOYD, SADE, ELTON JOHN, STING, CHRIS REA. PINK FLOYD'S THE WALL WAS PARTLY MADE AT LOUSSIER'S STUDIO. UNFORTUNATELY, THE TRIO'S VERSION OF BACH'S "AIR ON THE G STRING" HELPED TO ADVERTISE AND PROMOTE THE HAMLET CIGARS IN THE UK FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. TOBACCO TV ADVERTS WERE BANNED IN BRITAIN IN 1991.
MARCH 8
EDDIE TAYLOR JR. (46) / AMERICAN CHICAGO BLUES AND ELECTRIC BLUES GUITARIST, SINGER AND SONGWRITER FROM A FAMILY OF BLUES MUSICIANS. HIS BAND INCLUDED GUITARIST JOHNNY B. MOORE WHO WORKED WITH KOKO TAYLOR. EDDIE TAYLOR JR. ALSO SUPPORTED HUBERT SUMLIN, LITTLE ARTHUR DUNCAN, JOHNNY B. MOORE, BUDDY GUY, ERIC CLAPTON, KEITH RICHARDS, BILLY GIBBONS.
MARCH 10
ASA BREBNER (65) / AMERICAN GUITARIST, SINGER, SONGWRITER. IN THE LATE 1970's JOINED PROTO-PUNK BAND JONATHAN RICHMAN AND THE MODERN LOVERS AND IS ON THEIR THE MODERN LOVERS LIVE (1978) AND BACK IN YOUR LIFE (1979). AFTER A BREAK, BREBNER REJOINED THE REFORMED MODERN LOVERS AROUND 1985. IN 1978 TWO EX-MODERN LOVERS, ASA BREBNER AND LEROY RADCLIFFE (POLISH ROOTS) WITH A SINGER, SONGWRITER AND GUITARIST ROBIN LANE FORMED ROBIN LANE & THE CHARTBUSTERS WHO WERE DESCRIBED AS ALTERNATIVE ROCK WITH PUNK, GARAGE, NEW WAVE AND FOLK INFLUENCES. THEY BROKE UP IN 1983, BUT REUNITED FOR TWO GIGS, ON MARCH 2 AND 3, 2019. ASA BREBNER DIED A WEEK LATER.
MARCH 11
HAL BLAINE (90) / (HAROLD SIMON BELSKY) AMERICAN DRUMMER AND SESSION MUSICIAN, MEMBER OF THE LEGENDARY WRECKING CREW, A GROUP OF LOS ANGELES MUSICIANS FOR HIRE, ESPECIALLY IN THE 1960's AND 1970's. IN THE BEGINNING PLAYED IN COUNT BASIE'S BIG BAND. AS A SESSIONEER BLAINE APPEARED ON THOUSANDS OF RECORDS, INCLUDING BE MY BABY BY THE RONETTES (1963) AND ON ALBUM PET SOUNDS AND HIT SINGLE GOOD VIBRATIONS, BOTH BY BEACH BOYS (BOTH 1966).
DANNY KUSTOW (69) / ENGLISH PUNK ROCK, NEW WAVE AND ROCK GUITARIST. HE WAS THE FIRST CHOICE, WHEN AT THE END OF 1976 HIS OLD FRIEND TOM ROBINSON DECIDED TO FORM A BAND. TRB (TOM ROBINSON BAND) PLAYED REGULARLY AT ROCK AGAINST RACISM GIGS. THE BANDS THAT JOINED THEM THEN WERE THE CLASH, X-RAY SPECS, STEEL PULSE. TRB's FIRST SINGLE "2-4-6-8 MOTORWAY" (1977), THEIR HIGHEST CHARTING SONG, REACHED #5 AND STAYED ON THE CHART FOR 9 WEEKS (IN SWEDEN IT WAS #1). THE B-SIDE WAS BOB DYLAN'S "I SHALL BE RELEASED". THEN CAME A FOUR-SONG EP "RISING FREE" INCLUDING SONGS "DON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER", "MARTIN", "(SING IF YOU'RE) GLAD TO BE GAY" AND "RIGHT ON SISTER" (1978). THEIR DEBUT STUDIO ALBUM POWER IN THE DARKNESS (1978) REACHED #1 IN THE UK. THERE WERE LINE-UP CHANGES AND IN 1979 THEY RELEASED THEIR NEXT ALBUM TRB TWO. DANNY KUSTOW LEFT TRB IN 1979 WHICH MARKED THE BAND'S END. IN THE EARLY 1980's KUSTOW PLAYED WITH GLEN MATLOCK (OF SEX PISTOLS) IN THE SPECTRES AND WITH THE PLANETS. IN 1981 HE APPEARED ON THE GEN X LAST ALBUM KISS ME DEADLY. IN 1983 WORKED WITH TOM ROBINSON AGAIN, ON SONGS LIKE WAR BABY (#6 IN THE UK), THEN ADDED TO ROBINSON'S 1984 ALBUM HOPE AND GLORY. 1983-1985 DANNY KUSTOW WAS IN TIME UK, FOUNDED BY RICK BUCKLER EX DRUMMER FROM THE JAM. LATE 1980's TRB REFORMED WITH KUSTOW PLAYING LIVE AND RECORDING THE WINTER OF '89 ALBUM. IN OCTOBER 2017 KUSTOW JOINED TOM ROBINSON'S POWER IN THE DARKNESS TOUR AT THE 100 CLUB AND WAS FEATURED ON "2-4-6-8 MOTORWAY" WHICH WAS RECORDED AND RELEASED.
MARCH 14
JAKE PHELPS (56) / AMERICAN SKATEBOARDER AND MAGAZINE EDITOR. HE WAS THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF THE THRASHER MAGAZINE (FOUNDED IN JANUARY 1981) FOR 26 YEARS. STARTED SKATING AT 13. AT 15 BEGAN WORKING AT ZERO GRAVITY, A CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS SKATE PARK. SHORTLY WORKED FOR PEPSICO (WELL...), DROPPED OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL, MOVED TO SAN FRANCISCO, WORKED AT CONCRETE JUNGLE SKATE SHOP IN HAIGHT-ASHBURY, BEGAN WORKING FOR THRASHER, IN 1993 BECAME EDITOR. IN AUGUST 2005 JAKE PHELPS STARTED A SKATE PUNK / HARDCORE BAND CALLED BAD SHIT WITH SKATER AND MUSICIAN TONY TRUJILLO (THRASHER MAGAZINE "SKATER OF THE YEAR" IN 2002) AND HIS WIFE ASHLEY "TRIXIE" TRUJILLO. PHELPS PLAYED GUITAR, TONY - BASS AND SANG AND TRIXIE PLAYED DRUMS. THRASHER AND PHELPS ALWAYS SUPPORTED PUNK AND HARDCORE CULTURE.
MARCH 15
W. S. MERWIN (91) / AMERICAN POET, THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR POETRY WINNER (1971, 2009). WILLIAM STANLEY MERWIN WROTE OVER FIFTY BOOKS OF POETRY AND PROSE. STUDIED AT PRINCETON. WAS A TUTOR TO ROBERT GRAVES'S SON IN MAJORCA. LIVED IN BOSTON, LONDON (WHERE HE BEFRIENDED SYLVIA PLATH AND TED HUGHES), NYC, HAWAII. KNOWN FOR HIS POETRY DEALING WITH THE VIETNAM WAR (LIKE ALLEN GINSBERG, ROBERT BLY, ADRIENNE RICH, DENISE LEVERTOV, ROBERT LOWELL, YUSEF KOMUNYAKAA). WAS INTERESTED IN BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY AND DEEP ECOLOGY. RECEIVED MANY LITERARY PRIZES, THE LAST ONE BEING THE ZBIGNIEW HERBERT INTERNATIONAL LITERARY AWARD (2013).
MARCH 16
DICK DALE (81) / AMERICAN ROCK GUITARIST, A PIONEER OF SURF ROCK, CALLED "THE KING OF THE SURF GUITAR". PLAYED ALSO PROTO-PUNK MUSIC AND ROCK AND ROLL. BORN RICHARD ANTHONY MONSOUR (LEBANESE FATHER AND POLISH-BELARUSIAN MOTHER). EXPERIMENTED WITH MIDDLE EASTERN MUSIC SCALES, REVERBERATION, MODIFIED FENDER GUITARS AND AMPS (COLLABORATING WITH LEO FENDER), LOOKING FOR REALLY LOUD SOUND ( IS SOMETIMES CALLED "FATHER OF HEAVY METAL"). RECOGNIZED BY JIMI HENDRIX. HIT SONGS "LET'S GO TRIPPIN'" OR HIS SIGNATURE "MISIRLOU" WERE RELEASED ON HIS OWN DELTONE LABEL. IN 1994 QUENTIN TARANTINO USED "MISIRLOU" IN PULP FICTION. IN 1987 RECORDED "PIPELINE" WITH STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN. DICK DALE NEVER USED ALCOHOL OR DRUGS AND ENCOURAGED HIS BANDMATES AND ROAD CREW TO FOLLOW HIM. IN 1972 STOPPED EATING RED MEAT. PRACTICED KARATE FOR OVER 30 YEARS.
MARCH 22
SCOTT WALKER (76) / (REAL NAME NOEL SCOTT ENGEL) AMERICAN-BORN BRITISH SINGER-SONGWRITER, COMPOSER, RECORD PRODUCER. A CHILD ACTOR AND POP SINGER IN THE LATE 1950's. IN LOS ANGELES GOT INTERESTED IN PROGRESSIVE JAZZ (STAN KENTON, BILL EVANS), EUROPEAN ART CINEMA (BERGMAN, FELLINI, BRESSON) AND BEAT GENERATION POETRY. AS A TEENAGER WENT TO ART SCHOOL, PLAYED BASS GUITAR AS A SESSION MAN. PLAYED WITH BANDS. IN EARLY 1964 FORMED THE WALKER BROTHERS, A POP GROUP INCLUDING SCOTT ENGEL, JOHN WALKER (BORN JOHN MAUS) AND GARY LEEDS. RELOCATED TO LONDON EARLY 1965 AND HAD SOME #1 HITS INCLUDING "THE SUN AIN'T GONNA SHINE ANY MORE". WITH SUCCESS CAME TENSION AND STRESS AND SO IN 1967 THEY SPLIT. SCOTT WALKER'S FIRST FOUR SOLO ALBUMS SOLD VERY WELL. THE NEXT ONE, SCOTT 4 (1969) TURNED OUT TO BE A COMMERCIAL FLOP. HE SPENT THE NEXT FIVE YEARS DRINKING AND MAKING BAD RECORDS TO GET OUT OF CONTRACT. 1975-1978 SAW THE WALKER BROTHERS' REUNION WITHOUT MUCH SUCCESS. WENT SOLO AGAIN, WITH FIRST ALBUM IN TEN YEARS CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER (HIS ONLY ONE IN THE 80's) AND THEN MORE AVANT GARDE ORIENTED TILT IN 1995. WORKED WITH BILLY OCEAN, MARK KNOPFLER, NICK CAVE, UTE LEMPER, PULP, BAT FOR LASHES. CURATED THE MELTDOWN FESTIVAL IN LONDON. SIGNED TO 4AD RECORDS IN 2004, RELEASING THE DRIFT IN 2004. IN 2006 STEPHEN KIJAK MADE A DOCU SCOTT WALKER: 30 CENTURY MAN. SCOTT WALKER'S FOURTEENTH, LONGEST AND FINAL ALBUM WAS BISH BOSCH (2012). IN 2014 MADE SOUSED (4AD), A NEW ALBUM IN COLLABORATION WITH EXPERIMENTAL DRONE METAL DUO SUNN O))). SOME OF HIS FANS WERE DAVID BOWIE, BRIAN ENO, LEONARD COHEN, DAMON ALBARN, ANTONY HEGARTY (ANOHNI), THOM YORKE, JULIAN COPE, STEVEN WILSON (PORCUPINE TREE), TIM BOWNESS (NO-MAN), JARVIS COCKER (PULP), GOLDFRAPP, OPETH, IHSAHN (EMPEROR).
MARCH 26
RANKING ROGER (56) / (BORN ROGER CHARLERY) BRITISH TWO-TONE SKA PUNK SINGER IN THE BEAT AND GENERAL PUBLIC. AT 15 WAS A REGGAE SOUND SYSTEM DJ AND A DRUMMER WITH THE DUM DUM BOYS. STILL A TEENAGER, WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER (WITH GUITARISTS DAVE WAKELING AND ANDY COX) OF THE BEAT, IN THE US AND CANADA KNOWN AS THE ENGLISH BEAT AND IN AUSTRALIA THE BRITISH BEAT. ON THEIR FIRST SINGLE "TEARS OF A CLOWN" THE BEAT WERE JOINED BY A SKA LEGEND SAXA. THEY RELEASED THREE ALBUMS: I JUST CAN'T STOP IT (1980), WHICH INCLUDED THE "MIRROR IN THE BATHROOM" SINGLE (REACHED #4 IN THE UK), WHA'PPEN? (1981) AND SPECIAL BEAT SERVICE (1982). THE BEAT TOURED THE WORLD WITH THE CLASH, THE SPECIALS, DAVID BOWIE, THE PRETENDERS, TALKING HEADS, THE POLICE, R.E.M. IN 1981 ROGER WAS INVITED BY JOE STRUMMER AND MICK JONES OF THE CLASH TO RECORD A VERSION OF "ROCK THE CASBAH". WHEN THE BEAT BROKE UP IN 1983, HE AND DAVID WAKELING FORMED A NEW BAND GENERAL PUBLIC. THIS SUPERGROUP INCLUDED MEMBERS OF DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS (MICKEY BILLINGHAM & STOKER), THE SPECIALS (HORACE PANTER) AND THE CLASH (MICK JONES). GENERAL PUBLIC MADE THREE ALBUMS: ALL THE RAGE (1984), HAND TO MOUTH (1986) AND RUB IT BETTER (1995).
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